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Entry checkpoint

Entry checkpoint: a separate sample with explanations after your response.

Paper packet. Every task here also exists on screen, where it is checked automatically; answers written on paper are not assessed by Nydus. When you are back at a device, enter your answers there.

1. What you will learn

Entry checkpoint: attempt the strengthen, weaken, necessary assumptions sample before instruction. Use the target of each question to decide which information matters, and record your initial response before reading its explanation.

2. Practice

A seed bank switches to moisture-sealed envelopes and subsequently more stored seeds germinate. During the same period it also begins collecting seeds later in the season. A coordinator concludes that the intervention caused the improvement, arguing that reduced moisture exchange preserves viability. Which finding most strengthens the coordinator's causal explanation?

• seeds from the same harvest germinate more often after storage in sealed envelopes than in the old packaging
• the germination difference disappears when seeds from the same harvest are compared
• Staff expected the intervention to help before it began.
• The intervention was introduced after several months of discussion.
• Some other organizations have adopted similar interventions.

3. Practice

A seed bank switches to moisture-sealed envelopes and subsequently more stored seeds germinate. During the same period it also begins collecting seeds later in the season. A coordinator concludes that the intervention caused the improvement, arguing that reduced moisture exchange preserves viability. Which finding most weakens the coordinator's explanation?

• the germination difference disappears when seeds from the same harvest are compared
• seeds from the same harvest germinate more often after storage in sealed envelopes than in the old packaging
• The intervention required a modest initial expense.
• A few cases failed to improve after the intervention.
• The coordinator had recommended the intervention before the result was known.

4. Practice

An archaeological team uses a new sediment sieve and subsequently recovers more small beads per bucket. During the same period it also moves excavation to a richer deposit. A coordinator concludes that the intervention caused the improvement, arguing that smaller openings retain objects the old sieve loses. Which assumption is required by the stated mechanism?

• some recoverable beads fall through the old sieve but are retained by the new one
• The intervention was the only change made during the period.
• Every individual case improved by the same amount.
• The intervention cost less than any other available option.
• The coordinator correctly predicted the size of the improvement.

5. What you can do now

Review the strengthen, weaken, necessary assumptions decisions in this critical reasoning sample. Identify the particular restriction or evidence that changed your answer, and return to the corresponding worked lesson before trying a new case.